Abington runner’s benefit race stopped by Boston Marathon bombings

Friday

Apr 19, 2013 at 12:01 AMApr 19, 2013 at 7:10 PM

Diane Brady was on Mile 19 of the Boston Marathon on Monday when she was stopped. The Abington resident said she could feel something was wrong by the way the crowd and the volunteers were acting – looking at their cell phones, talking quietly to one another.

Erin Shannon

Diane Brady was on Mile 19 of the Boston Marathon on Monday when she was stopped. The Abington resident said she could feel something was wrong by the way the crowd and the volunteers were acting – looking at their cell phones, talking quietly to one another.

She asked a volunteer, “is everything OK?”

“No it’s not OK. There have been fatalities,” a volunteer told her of the tragic bombing that was unfolding at the historic race’s finish line.

“I had my entire family at the finish line, from my 81-year-old mother to my 2-year-old great nephew,” Brady, 45, said Wednesday. “I pulled my phone out of my pack and started calling and I couldn’t get in touch with anybody and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. They’re gone.’”

Brady has an 11-year-old son with cerebral palsy for whom she was running her second Boston Marathon. She thought of the year before when she crossed the finish line of her first marathon and her husband held her son Brendan over the barricades as they waved and cheered for her accomplishment.

“I just had visions of him being at that finish line not being able to run and visions of them all being gone,” said Brady.

Three people were killed in the blasts and 176 were injured.

But her family was safe, she would come to find out many hours later.

And Brendan, who was next to the bleachers that overlooked the explosions on the corner of Exeter and Boylston streets was safe, too – thanks to a caregiver who took him to safety.

A young caregiver

Nick Atkinson is a 19-year-old Abington resident and Massasoit Community College student. When not in class, Atkinson spends about 20 hours a week with Brendan Brady.

Atkinson takes the 11-year-old outside to play, feeds him and helps him with whatever he can.

On Monday, Atkinson was with Brendan as they waited at the finish line. The group of 20 people there to see her had scattered, but Atkinson stayed with Brendan.

“We were around police officers when I saw the first explosion and the fire and smoke and I felt the percussion of it hit me,” said Atkinson. “I wasn’t sure what was going on and then the police were saying, ‘Wow. This isn’t good.’ They hopped the barricades and started running so I scooped (Brendan) up and started running away and then I felt the percussion of the second bomb on my back.”

Brendan and Atkinson were shaken but uninjured by the blasts.

When Brady watched the video of the explosion and its aftermath she saw something familiar – the carriage that Brendan had been in was still in the street.

“I just can’t say enough how amazing he is,” Brady said about Atkinson.

After about an hour of trying to reach the family, Atkinson and Brendan met up with the Brady clan.

Brendan’s 14-year-old brother was also with the group, but he was in the Prudential Center when the bombs went off. He made it back to the group safely as well and when they were finally all together they knew they had to leave so they just kept running until they felt safe, said Brady.

Coming home and moving on

Brady, now stuck at Mile 19 of the route, was shuffled into a side street with hundreds of other runners.

The group was taken by bus to Boston College. A couple hours later a friend came and picked up Brady to take her home.

“It was beautiful because when I walked in my door my whole family that was going to be at the finish line cheering me on was in my house,” said Brady.

“I’m extremely lucky but I feel for my family who went through that traumatic event,” said Brady. “I can’t stop thinking about the ‘what if.’ I feel like I shouldn’t be like that because were all OK but everybody did go through a traumatic event.”

On Wednesday, two days after the unthinkable events, the Brady family felt grateful but not happy.

They didn’t feel like smiling. They didn’t feel relief. There were still too many unanswered questions.

“Emotionally, I’m still distraught about the whole thing,” said Brady. “I’m having a hard time just going on.”

Erin Shannon may be reached at eshannon@enterprisenews.com or follow on Twitter @Erin_Enterprise.